Shamelessly driven by the pursuit and celebration of beauty, Rio has nothing to prove in the good looks department. Its best assets are blatantly obvious: the beach, the mountains, the sun and its citizens. Traveller Toby Amies takes the pulse of the Marvellous City in the lead-up to Carnival.

He meets:

Denise Garcia – a filmmaker who spirits him off to the City of God to mix it up with favela beauty queens and a baile funk sensation.

Ricardo Gomes – a photographer exploring Cariocas love affair with the sea - from beach volleyball to the last fishing village on Copacabana.

Andrea Fasanello – the daughter of a Brazilian design legend takes Toby on a cultural safari to a Rio icon that looks like it landed from outer space.

Marcelo Arantes – a carnival organiser who sneaks Toby into a rehearsal for the biggest party on earth.

Patrícia Martins – a samba disciple and circus performer giving favela kids pride, hope and aerial acrobatics.

Ducha Pacheco – a conceptual artist who shows Toby the best way to get to grips with Rio’s Sugar Loaf Mountain.